Article sealing and labeling machine



Filed Aug. 19, 1939 e sheets-sheet 1 mw b@ lNvENToR War/"ew BY y 5 Reyno/afs' ATTQRNl-:Yg 7 M June 9, 1942.Y w. s. REYNOLDS 2,286,159

ARTICLE sEALING AND LABELING .MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 1939 6 sheets-Shana g rn g lNvENToR Warren 5. @egim/d5 BY W u., v f ATTORNEYS f June 9, 1942. wfs. RIEYNVOLFDS ARTICLE SEALING AND LABELING MACHINE VFiled Aug. 19, 1959 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR f War/"677 .S Reyna/d5 June 9, 1942. w. s. REYNOLDS ARTICLE SEALING AND LABELING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 1939 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 `lNvENToR A Warren @e 770/45 June 9, 1942.

w. s. REYNOLDS 2,286159 ARTICLE. SEALING AND LABELING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19, 3.939 G Sheets-Sheet 5 d. m .Y zo

Q I l A l L J/ INVENTOR 4 Warn??? 5 eyWa/as June 9, 1942.

W. S. REYNOLDS ARTICLE SEALING AND LABELING `MACHINE Filed AuglQ, 1959 6 Sheets-Shes?l 6 ATTORNEYS Patented June 9, 1942 2,286,159 y ARTICLE SEALING AND LABELING MACHINE Warren S. Reynolds, Stratford, Conn., assignor to Remington Arms Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application August 19, 1939, Serial No. 291,106 v 20 Claims. (Cl. 216-24) l.

This invention relates to a method and machine forplacing seals with a thermoplastic adhesive on articles. the placement of such seals on the end closures of shot shells, said end closures being integral and adjacent the end of the body of the shot shell such as disclosed in the patent to Meadows (No. 929,866), and the patent to Finlay and Stauier,-No. 2,242,907, issued May 20, 1941. Thel invention also discloses a method and` the apparatus for placing printing on the seal before the seal or label is severed from a strip of the seal or label material. It is to be distinctly understood, however, that the use of the invention to place the seals or labels on shot shells is merely illustrative and that the invention 1s not limited thereto, but is capable of general application. The objects of the invention will appear from the following specification and drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking from the left-hand rear corner of the machine with some of the parts in sectionshowing delivery vof the articles to the machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a front view of the machine facing the point of delivery of the articles from the machine. y

Fig. 4 is a left-hand View of a portion of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view at line 5-5 of Fig 2.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view looking from the rear of the machine showing vthe details of the printing and paper-feeding mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a detail plan view at line 1-1 of Fig. 5 showing the feeding mechanism for the articles through the machine.

Fig. 8 is a left-hand sectional view of a portion of the machine taken at line 8-8 of Fig. 2 showing the details of the paper feeding means.

A general description of the operation of the machine will .first be given which will be followed by a detailed description of the operation and construction of the various component parts.

The description will be given for the placing of a printed label Vand end-closure means on the end of a shotshell. It is to be distinctly understood that wherever the term shot shell or shell is used that such means any article upon which a seal or label is to be placed andis not limited to a shot shell or shell.

The sealing disc may be of any desired shape and mayor may not have printed matter thereon. It may serve merely as a label or may serve as a sealing means, or it can perform both functions.

Referring to Fig. l, the articles which are to have a label or seal placed thereon are delivered in any suitable manner or by hand tothe mov- It is particularly adapted to ing belt 20. The belt carries the shell 2| between the guides 22 until they are in front of the transverse transfer nger 23, in this particular instance two shells being transferred simultaneously, although .it is evident` that one or any number maybe transferred and operated on, depending upon the design of the machine. The main operating shaft 24 has suitable cams and levers thereon to -move the .transfer means, blanking punches, sealing punches, and also carries at its opposite end the driving gears for the paper feedingand printing mechanism, which will bev described in detail later. The shells are transferred to the left until they are;- in position under the blankingpunches 25 carried by the reciprocating head 26. The blanking punches cooperate with the dies 21 to punch t a circular or suitablev shaped disc from a strip of paper 28 fed thereto, said paperhaving an adhesive of a thermoplastic type on the other side and having had, if desired, printedmatter pre-A viously placed thereon. This is done by astamp located on the reciprocating printer slide `29, which isoperated by the printer cam SI1-through lever 3l, said cam being driven fromfthe print-y ing and feeding shaft 32. There are small electric heaters located within the punchesv 25 for front of the machine by the shell transfer means.r

Upon completion of this operation, the shell transfer cam 33, through shell transfer lever 34,

moves the shell transfer bar 35to the front of the machine (to the right, Fig. 1). ,Y The longitudinal shell transfer fingers 36 engage the shells and move them with the transfer bar to a .posi tion under the sealing heater means 31 carried on a reciprocating sealing head means 38 operated byv a suitable cam located on shaft. 2l. The next operation of the machine causes lthe heater to engage the top of the seals for a sufficient length of timerto make the entire thermoplastic on the disc adhesive and cause adhesion of the disc to the shell. Further operation of the machine causes an upward reciprocationof the heater 31; a movement of the transfer bar 35 then causes further displacement of the shells to the front so that they'willV be underneath the pressure head 39, which then reciprocates downwardly, holding the labels in place on top ofthe shells for a sufficient llength of time to insure proper adhesion of the seal thereto. 'Ihe longitudinal transverse transfer fingers 36 are pivoted to the transfer bar 35 and are yieldable as the transfer bar moves to the left in its return operation so that as more shells are moved into engagement therewith by the transverse transfer finger 23 the operation will be continuous. Shells under the blanking punches 25 will have the disc placed thereon, shells under the sealing heater means 31 will have the thermoplastic heated completely, and the shells under pressure e means 39 will have the labels thereon held firmly in place to assist the adhesion and to give the thermoplastic time to cool sufficiently to insure proper aillxing thereto. After being moved further to the right upony completion of the action of the pressure head 39, the shells will be delivered to a point at the front-of the machine where they may be removed by any suitable means. The seals or labels are stamped from I the paper 28 which, as has been stated, has a thermoplastic adhesive on the lower side thereof, said paper being supplied, for example, from a roll 40 located on a suitable shaft`4l. The paper is fed into the machine over the guide roller 42 page.

one of the guides 22. In the event that the shells are stopped and the loading machine continues supplying shells to the belt, the shells will be directed by .the `projection |59 toward the swinging gate |58 which will then pivot about the gate pivot |60 allowing the excess shells to escape from the machine. This will also give notice to the operator that there has been a stop- A pivoted arm 50, pivoted at 5| to the frame of the machine (Figs. 1, 2 and 4), is provided to stop the movement of the articles-inwardly as the transverse transfer lever 23 is operated until said lever isin its proper position for the reception of the articles, an extension 52 contacting the articles. The lower arm 53 of the stop lever is operated by pin 54 located on the transverse shell transfer lever 55.V As the pin 54 moves to the left withthe lever 55, arm is roe tated clockwise (Fig. 1) allowing the proper number of shells to be carried past the same.

The lever 55 is operated by the shell feed cam 56 (Fig. 2) through the-cam roller l51 (Figs. 2 and 3), connecting link 53, and the pivoted connection 59 with lever 55. may be slotted as at 60 so as to straddle the main operating shaft 24. As the lever 55 moves counter-clockwise (Fig. 1) the upper end 5| by the paper feeder lever 44 the paper will be clamped between the block 43 and the lower part of the paper feederk frame |50. Then as the lever 44'is moved to theleft the paper will be carried therewith. 'I'he upper half of the paper binder is located at 45, the lower half thereof being operated by the paper binder lever 46 which is in turn operated by a cam located on shaft 32. The lever 46 oscillatesA in a vertical direction so that, as the end under the binder 45 moves upwardly, the paper will be clamped between the end-of lever 45 and the upper half of binder frame 45. As the paper feeder means 43 moves to the left or towards the work, the relation of the parts of the paper binder 45 are such as to allow free passage of the paper strip 28 therethrough, but as the paper feeder 43 moves to the right free from the paper, the parts thereof having been separated by its cam, the lever 45 is moved upwardlyl so as to bind the paper at point 45 and prevent movement of the paper backwardly. During the periodv that the paper is stationary in the feeding operation, the printer slide 29 has been moved downwardly and an impression made of the desired printed matter on the paper, the relation of the partsbeing such that the printed matter will have 'proper location within'the blanking dies 21 for placement on the shells. In order` to provide for adjustment, the printer head may be slidably mount- A'edon the frame, being held in placefby the clamping screw |55 (Fig. 4), a screw adjusting means |51 being provided to move the printer head so that the printing centers lunder the punches. During thev interval in which the printer is in its upward position, the inking cam 41 operates the inking lever 48, causing it to reciprocate to the left and deposit ink upon the printing surface.

Article or shell feeding means Thearticles or shot shells to be operated upon are fed'by a loading machine or in any suitable manner to the endless belt 20, and as they are carried towards the front or .delivery point'of the machine, guides 22 (Figs. 2 and 7) guide the shells. One of the guides'may have a swinginggate |58 and have an arcuate indentationalong its surface corresponding .to a projection |59 in (Fig 5) engages the carrier 62 of the transverse transfer nger- 23, moving said ringer and carry- `ing the shells towards the punches and the trans-'- fer bar 35.` As the ringer is moved, the stop means 50 is removed from the path of the articles on the belt, allowing said articles to be moved with the belt until they engage the side surface of the fingers 23. A spring 63 is provided't'o assist in the guiding of the shells. This is necessary because the shells are heavy at their upper end, and the spring helps to maintain them in an upright position as they are moved by the fingers. The sliding guide 1| is also carried in front of the shells and serves as a guide and shutter as the fingers 23 move the shells toward the punches, the sliding guide 1I moving out of the way 'of theA advancing shells. In the particular disclosure shown, two shells are transferred at each reciprocationY of the transverse transfer nger. A fixed guide means B4 assists in the guidance of the shells. 'Transfer bar lever- 34 is pivoted at 55 fand is operated by the shell transfer cam 33 driven by the main shaft 24 through the cam roller 61. Upon the completion of the operation of the blanking punches, which will be described at a later point, the transfer bar 35 is reciprocat'ed toward the front of the machine, which moves the shells which have just been operated upon in a forward` direction to a position under the next'set of plungers, which in this instance are heaters mounted on a reciprocating plunger. After the shells are.

moved and during return movement of the transfer bar` 35, the longitudinal transverse `fingers 36, which are yielding,l held by springs 68, will allow the passage pastv the shells of the ngers which will then move back into place against the stops |5| so that the arcuate surface 69 of each engages a shell in readiness for the next forward movement of the transfer bars. Upon the completion of the operation and another` reciprocation of the transfer bar 35, the arcuate surfaces 69 engaging the shells will push the'm in a for- The connecting link 53 .better than a` metal one. forward by means of the paper feeder 43 and the the reciproca-ting transfer bar is operated, a fixed guide .(Figs, 2 and 3) -is provided having mounted thereon a sliding guide 1| (Fig. '7) moving with the reciprocating transfer bar 35, said movement being imparted thereto by the arm 12 mounted on the transfer bar 35 and having on its return movement, thereby preventing damage in case of failure of the shells to f eed properly. The sliding guide 1| has screws |52 fitting in a slot located in the arm 12 to allowthe relative movement in the return directly and to move the slide forwardly as the transfer bar moves forwardly."

. Paper feedingI In the machine shown, Athe sealing paper having a layer of thermoplastic adhesive on a surface thereof may be fed to the machine from roll 40 over a guide roller 42. It is to be understood, however, that other forms of feeding the labeling paper may be used without affecting thevoperation of the machine. the guides 11 (Figs. 4 and v6). A printer block carrier' 18 carries printing block 19, -on which may be placed the desiredy printed matter or design, lthe reciprocation ,of the carrier 18 leaving an imprint of the printing block 19 on a strip of paper underneath it at that point, there beinga bed 80 directly underneath the printing block. It has been found that a rubber printing block is The paper is' moved paper binder 45, which will now be described.

The paper feed and bindercam 8| haseam' surfaces thereon for operating both the paper` l feeder lever 44 and the paper Vbinder lever 45. The paper feed lever 44 is pivoted at 84 for move- The paper enters between' as the paper feedery moves towardthe paper.v

binder, moving thepaper inwardly.l As .stated before, the location andv spacing of the Printing mechanism is such that the desired printing` matter will come directly underneath the punching dies, and thefeeding action is such as tomdex the paper properly to obtain this position.V At |20 there is an adjusting means for the move--l ment of the paper feeder lever 44, in the vertical direction. v

u Printing u i The reciprocating printer slide 29 carrying the printing block 19 is operated by the printing .lever :u` actuated bythe printer tam su through cam roll 91, the cam` surface ofsaid cam being'. y

in the form of an internal race 98V in cam wheel' 30, the printer slide lever being pivoted at 99. The printer `slide Vis suitably mounted 'inl the printer slide guide |00 lin any suitable mann'er The inking roll |0| is reciprocatedover-the print-l ing block by means of the inkroll cam 41, having an internal cam race 03 acting oncam-rolle |04 mounted on the inkroll lever 48 which is piv'- f .oted at |06, the roll being connected toi said lever 48 by means of inkroll link |01. Asf'theinkroll cam is rotated, the arm |05 is oscillated causing the ink roll |0| tomove in a horizontal direction l and over the printing block to ink the same.' Ink zontal plane, thereby causing paper feeder 43 to reciprocate along the line of the paper feed movement. The surface 88 of cam 8| also is a cam surface (Fig. 8) acting on the under side 89 of roller 81, which in turn causes paper feed lever 44 to reciprocate about its horizontal pivot axis 84, thereby causing the end 90 of the lever 44 acting on paper'feeder block 43 to bear against ,until the end of its stroke is reached, at which time the paper is bound again and moved toward the blanking punch. To prevent rearward mo'- tion of the paper and to allow only forward motion of thepaper, the cam surface 93'of cam 8| acts on roller 94 of paper-'binder lever 46,' causing the paper binding lever .to rotate about its horizontal axis 95. Paper binder isstationary and the button 96 on the end oflever 46 binds the paper between button 96and stationary portion 45 -as the paper binder lever 46 is oscillated, thisbinding action takingf place as the paper feeder block 43 is reciprocated in its rearward direction, the paper being carried forward fil is'distributed tothe roller |0| from the-forint |08. "The fount maybe of any conventionalrde-Q- I Il, there being a means mounted on linku|01 v to engagea ratchet armv H2 to reciprocatethe roll |09, thereby presenting a fresh supply of ink from the fount tothe distributing ink rollk |0| each'operation thereof. An ink distributing disc H3 is vprovided across which the ink distributing roll |0| passes. tegrally with the disc |.|3 and is rotatedby the ratchet wheel H5, operated by the .1 pawlp||6 mounted on the arm ||1 which is engaged bya cam ||8 of the printer slide. Each reciprocation of the reciprocating slide therefore causes the ink distributing disc v||3 to berotated, serving Ato more completely distribute the'ink on the inking roll |0I. .g l Biani/ting As the paper strip isjmovedfinwardly and comes over the shells upon which the seal is to be placed, means areprovidedv for cuttingfthe seal to the desired configuration, which will n ow be'described. 1 f y A reciprocating blanking -head 26 "carries punches 25, said head being reciprocated vertically by means of the blanking lever |2| pivoted at" |22 and actuated by theshell blanking cam |23 through the cam )roll |24, 4the blankingv cam 23 being driven from the main shaft.24. vThe punch 25 cooperates with a die 125, the paper passing between' |25 and' a lower portion |26 vof the die, so that as the punchy 25 vmoves down# wardly, a -disc of the desired configuration will be punched fromthesheet.v The lower portion of the opening in |26 is enlarged .as at |21 tore#` ceive the top surface ofthe article on which the' seal is to be placed,`in this instance circulanA to receive the top of the shot shell, the shell having been moved under the punch by transverse transfer finger '23 .until it isover the shell rais? ing plunger |28 which has inside thereof a spring y pressed plunger |29 engaging the bottom'iof the shell. A shell raisingl lever. Hlm-operated.bythe` f shell raising! cam |3| through the roller "|32 A 'shaft I I 4 .is connected winraises the shell raising plunger |28 and with it the spring pressed plunger |29 until the article is securely held underneath the punch. In the event of a jam of the parts or sticking of the articles or because they are too long, the spring pressed plunger |29 will yield and thus provide a safety means and the proper pressure thereunder. The spring |53, Vattached to lever |30 and the frame |54, causes the cam roller |32 to follow the cam and provides a further yieldable safety means. In the interior of plunger 25 there kis located a heater |33 having a point contact at |34of restricted area. The heater point |34 may be of metal, the upper end thereof being in contact with a heating element |33. The heater point and element are spaced from the outside of the punch by vmeans of asbestos or other suitable insulating material such as in the formV of washers |62. Itis necessary that this separation exist as otherwise the heat will so distort the punch as to prevent its proper cooperation with the die. As the plunger 25 moves downwardly, cutting the shell disc andv causing it to impinge upon the article, the heater point |34 will cause a small area of the thermoplastic to becomesuiciently hot so that theA seal will be prelixriinarily,attached to the shell and thus allow movement of the shell to another position without danger of the seal becoming removed. The shellsare then moved by the transfer means as disclosedfpreviously until the `next 4position is reached underr the sealing heaters 31 (Fig. 3) carried on the heater reciprocating sealing head 38. The-heater 38 is operated by means of the shell Asealing cam |35 acting through cam roll |36 and shell sealing lever |31, a spring `|55 causing the rollerto followfthe cam. The lower end of the heater may have a skirt |38 to encircle the shell so as to `keep it in position, the entire point of contact of the heaters of this station substantially coinciding with the sealing disc so as to cause the thermoplastic to become completely adhesive and adhere to the shell. The shell sealing camcarries the heaters 31 downwardly to impinge on the shells as soon as the articles come to rest underneath said' heaters. 'I'he shells rest on spring pressed plungers |39 which allow for differences in length and provide safety means in case of a jamming or failure to feed properly. It can be seen that the time necessary for the blanking operations and carryingthe sealing discs downwardly to the Yshells is such as to preclude the necessary time for heating of the adhesive at the first station, and also presents difiiculties as stated because the plunger acts as a cutter and the kheat would affect the clearance thereof with the die and spoil the operation as a cutter. Therefore the heater station is necessary and it is so arranged that the heaters stay upon the seals as long as possible or as is necessary. 'At

the next reciprocation of the sealing heater head r means 38 upwardly, the articles are moved another step to' a position under the pressure heads 39, which reciprocate Ywith 4the sealing heater head`38 and come down at the top of the articles which have just previously had the thermoplastic adhesive rendered adhesive, and'insure that the contact and adhesion are complete.

Clutch and has mounted therein a reciprocable plunger |45,` there being a spring |46 to urge said plunger r of the arrow as shown,'it will engage the plunger |45, causing'shaft |43 to rotate therewith. Shaft |43 has'a bevel gear |48 mounted thereon which meshes with Va suitable gear ,|49 mounted on the main shaft 24, `serving to drive the same. Also mounted on the shaft 24-is a spiral gear |50 meshing with a mating gear |5|,the spiral gear- |5| being carried by the paper feeder and printing shaft 32 (Fig. 2). If it' is desired to operate the machine a fraction revolution, by'hand, for example, by taking hold of the wheel 30, it is possible to,` so do because it can be seen that as the sleeve |44 is moved ahead, |42 remaining stationary, the spring pressed plunger |45 will be moved inwardly, allowing free rotation ofthe machine by hand and insuring that the clutch will take hold of the gear wheel |42 at the same place each time.

Summary of operation Theshells Vare deliveredto'the endless belt 20vv and are carried inwardly until they are stopped by the extension 52 ofthe pivotedarm 50. As the transverse transfer finger 23 is moving inwardly, pin 54 rotates arm 50 about its pivot 5| allowing, in this'instance, twoshells to pass extension 52, the shellsbeing stopped by the side ofthe transverse transfer finger 23. As the shell feed cam 56 operates the shell transfer connecting link 58, shell transfer lever 55 moves the transverse transfer finger 23 to the right (Fig. 1).A The projection 52 again blocks the passage of the shells on the endless belt 20. As' the finger 23 moves further to the right, .the endlessV belt `carries the shells forward until they are immediately in front of the engaging nger thereforof the transfer finger 23. Prior to the movement of the finger 23 in the reverse direction toV carrythe shells under the punches, the transfer bar 35 has moved rearwardly after having moved the shells that have just been operated upon forwardly, so that the new shells will be movedunder the blanking punches, the transverse transferV finger 23 continuing its movement until the shells are located directly under the blanking punches 25, resting upon the shell raising plunger |29. Shell raising cam |34| operates shell raising lever |30carrying plunger |28 and the spring pressed plunger |29 upwardly -so -that the shell is raised upwardly, tting'into the enlarged area |21 of the lower portion of the `die |26. Shell blanking cam "|23 now operates on the blanking'lever |2I', causing the reciprocating shell blanking head 26 to move downwardly. The paper 28which has previously been fed through the guides, is sheared by the cutting edge v of the plunger 25 as it passes through the die, further movement of the plunger carrying theV paper against the top of the shell in thel enlargement |21. vThe heater point |34, which has `previously been brought to the proper temperature, contacts a small portion of the disc thathas just been cut, heating the thermoplastic sufiiciently to cause temporary or preliminary adhesion to the shell. The blanking cam |23 then raises the. reciprocating blanking head 26 and atthe same time the shell raising cam |3|l lowers theshell raising plunger |28, causing the top of the shells to be removed from the enlarged aperture |21 so that they may be moved forwardly in the machine by the transfer bar 35.

The transfer bar 35 is no w moved forwardly due to the action of shell transfer cam 33 on shell transfer lever 34, moving the shells to Vtheir next station underneath the sealing heaters 31, the fingers 36 engaging the shells, carrying them forward, and then, upon the return movement of the transfer bar 35, springs 68 allowing yielding of these ngers. The shells are guided also by the'xed guide 10 and the sliding guide -1 Movement of thetransfer bar 35 carries with it the arm 12 which has a slot therein through which the screws |52 project. -This carries the sliding guide 1| forward at the same time that the transfer bar goes forward. In the return movement of the transfer bar, the friction between the sliding guide and arm 12 is such as to normally carry the same therewith. However,

in case of a stoppage blocking the return ofV slidingguide 1|, the spring 14 will allow -the transfer bar and arm to move relative to the sliding guide 1|, preventing damage to the parts or the shell being worked on. The shell sealing cam |35 operates the shell sealing lever |31, moving the reciprocating sealing head 38 downwardly, thereby carrying the heaters 31 over the shells that have just been moved thereunder,v

skirt |38 serving to further hold the shells. The heaters 31 cover substantially the entire area of the shells and such contact is maintained for a longer period of time than by the blanking plungers at the previous station. Spring pressed plungers |39 allow for the differences in lengths of the various shells, and press the shells firmly against the heaters. After the heaters 31 Vhave been raised and the transfer bar 35 has moved the shells another step to the next station under the pressure heads 39, the shell sealing cam |35 in its next rotation again reciprocates the sealing' head 38 downwardly bringing the pressure heads 39 to bear against the shells that have just previously had the thermoplastic placed in its adhesive ondition. The pressure is'applied long enough to insure the proper adhesion of the seal to the top of the shell. After the reciprocating head 38 has been again raised, the transfer bar in its next forward movement moves the shells toward the delivery point of the machine. It is to be understood that there is a continuous Vflow of shells through the machine so that under the blanking punch there will be two shells, under the heater means 31 there will be two shells, and under the pressure head there will be `two shells being operated upon at the same time. During the period in lwhich the blanking punches are raised, the paper is fed forward by the paper feeder lever 44 which at this point has been rotated so that the block 43 is pressing against the button 9| while the lever 44 oscillates carrying the paper therewith, the paper binder lever 46 at this time being out of contact with the paper andallowing free passage therethrough. Upon the completion of this operation, the paper feeder lever 44 is rotated about'the horizontal axis 84, freeing the paper feeder from binding contact with the paper, and at this time the paper feeder lever is rotated about its vertical axis 35, returning the paper feeder frame |50 in readiness for its next paper feeding movement. During the return movement, the paper is held at the paper binder` 45, Also during this interval, the blanking punches are reciprocated downwardly, cutting the discs as described heretofore. During this stationary period of the paper,the printing operation by the printing `mechanism takes place, the inking means having previously kbeen operated toprop-i erly ink the printing block 19. y

The proper timing of these operations with types of heaters anddo not necessarily have to be electric, although vthese klend themselves readily to the construction asv shown. r

The invention is not to be considered` as limited to the specific construction shown and de,- scribed by way of illustration, since it extends to all equivalent constructions and articles to be worked on falling withinthe scope of theappended claims, which claims` are to be broadly construed. v

What is claimed is:

l1. In the application of seals with a thermoplastic adhesive to an article, the method comprising the steps of preliminarily attaching4 the seal to the' article by heating. aportion thereof, and then aiixing the seal tothe article byheating the entire area of the seal.

2. In the appucauon of seais with a thermo plasticadhesive toan article, the `method comprising the steps of preliminarily attaching the seal tothe article byv heating `a restricted area While the seal is in contact with-the article, moving the article and seal to another position, and' then applyingheat to substantially the entire area of the seal to aiiix the seal securely to the r article.

3. Inrthe forming and application of seals with a thermoplastic adhesive to an article, the method comprising thesteps of preliminarily attach ing the seal to the article by heating a restrictedv area, heating the entire seal, and the'n applyin t pressure to the seal.

4. The method of applying seals with a ther-4 moplastic adhesive to the ends of shot shells comprising the steps of preliminarily attaching -the seal to the shot shell by heating. a portion of the seal and then aiiixing the seal to the shot shell by heating the entire area of the seal.'

5. In a machine for applying seals with a thermoplastic adhesive toan artic1e,the combination comprising: .means to feed an article to be sealed; means to feed a seal to the article; means includinga `heater to Vpreliminarily affix theseal to the article; and means thereafter to permanently ax the seal to the article.

6. In a machine for applying seals with. a

thermoplastic adhesive tolanrarticle, the combiy nation comprising: means to feed the articles tol be sealed; means to feed the sealing material over the articles; means including a punch with a heater therein, said punch and heater cutting and preliminarily aixing ra seal to an article which has been moved under the punch by the feeding means; means to move the article to.l

material in strip form; means including a punch with a heater of restricted area therein;`means to feed the article underneath the punch.. said punch cooperating with a die, whereby a seal is cut and preliminarily ailixed to the article; reciprocating means to move the article to another position; and a second heater means to apply heat to substantially the entire area of the seal.

9. Means to form and apply a seal having' a thermoplastic adhesive comprising a hollow punch, a diev cooperating therewith, a heaterl within the hollow punch and spaced therefrom, said heater being so located as to contact the seal and heat a small portionthereof and to be insulated from the cutting edge of the punch.

10; Means to apply a seal having a thermoplastic adhesive comprising 'a hollow punch, a die cooperating therewith, a heater within the hollow punch andsubstantially flush-with -the lower end so as tolcontact the seal, said heater being spaced from the walls ofthe punch so as to be insulated therefrom.

1l. In a machine for aixing seals to articles, the combination comprising: a punch; a die cooperating with said punch; Imeans to move the sealing material over the die and over the article, said sealing material having 'a thermoplastic as the adhesive, said punch havingk a heater therein smaller than the diameter'of the punch, said punch in cooperation with the die cutting the seal material and carrying it onto the article, the heater therein preliminarily attaching the'seal to the article; means to move theA article; a heater to engage the article after it is the fixing of the seal tov moved so as to complete the article.

12. In a machine for applying seals with a thermoplastic adhesive to shot shells, the combination comprising: feeding means for the shot shells; feeding means for the seals to be applied to the ends of the shot shells; means including a heater to preliminarily affix the seal to the shot shell; and means to thereafter permanently affix the seal to the shot shell.

13. In a machine for applying seals with a thermoplastic adhesive to a shot shell, the combination comprising: means tofeed the sealing material in strip form; means including a punch with a heater of restricted area therein; means to feed the shot shell to Va position in line with nently ailix the seals to the articles.

15. In a machine for applying seals with a thermoplastic adhesive to a shot shell, the combination comprising: feeding means for the shot shells including means to keep the'shot shells upright; feeding means for the seals to be applied to the end of the shotshells; means including a heater to preliminarily ailix the seals to the shot shells; .and means to thereafter per.`

manently affix the seals to the shot shells.

16. In a machine for applying sealsrwith a thermoplastic adhesive to an article, the combination comprising: means to feed the article to be sealed; means to feed the sealing material over the article, a punch with a heater therein, a die cooperating with the punch; means to raise the article against the de so that operation of the punch will sever a seal andaillx it to the article while saidv article is in raised position against the die. i

17. In amachine for applying seals with a thermoplastic adhesive to an article, the combination comprising: means to feed the article to be sealed; means to feed the sealing material over the article, a punch with a heater therein, a die cooperating with the punch, means to raise thearticle againstl the dievso' that operation of the punch will sever a seal and preliminarily afnx it to the article, which has been raised against the die; means to. rn'ove the article to another position after the article has been again lowered;. and a second heater means to apply heat to substantially the entire area of the seal.

18. In a machine for applying Alabels with a thermoplastic adhesive to an article', the combination comprising: means to feed the label material; means to apply printing thereto; means including a punch and heater of restricted area; means to feed an article underneath the said punch cooperating with the'die; means to raise the article against the die, whereby upon operation of the punch a label is cut and amxed to the article while it is raised against the die, `the relation of the printing means and punch being such as to bring the punch into registry with the mat' ter printed on the label.

19. In a machine for applying seals with a thermoplastic adhesive to articles, the combina tion comprising: -a common driving means; a seal severing means; means for feeding the sealing material in strip form underneath the seal sever-` ing means; means to feed the articles underneath the seal severingmeans, said seal severing means having a heater therein, the seal severing means, sealing material feeding means, and article feeding means being driven by the common operating means so that the sealing material and articles y are moved under the seal severingv means and remain there while the seal severing means severs a label from the stationary sealing material and afiixes it to the article.

20. In a machine for applying labels with a thermoplastic adhesive to an article, the combination comprising: printing means with an individual label stamp and operating means therefor, means to feed label material in strip form under said printing means, a punch with a heater of restricted area and al die cooperating with said punch, means to feed .the label material from thev stamp to a position under Vthe punch and over the die with an individual printed label in registry with said punch and-die, means to feed an article underneath the punch, 'means to operate the punch to sever an individual label from the strip and preliminarily affix the same tothe article thereunder by heating a portion of the label, means to move the articleto' a second position, and a second heater means to apply heat to substantially the entire area of the ond position. c

- WARREN S. REYNOLDS.

label in the sec- 

